In a conventional wireless system, a subscriber purchases a wireless phone (i.e., a handset) and a wireless service from a service provider. The subscriber has a contract with the service provider and pays a monthly subscriber fee for access to the wireless service and also pays for air time. If the subscriber fails to timely pay, the service provider may disconnect the service. Then the service provider have to attempt to collect money for unpaid bills. U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,247 describes a cellular telephone communication refill system. This system includes an apparatus that meters payment according to a predetermined parameter (e.g., a number of calls, an amount of funds, etc.). The predetermined parameter is stored within a secured metering device of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,100 describes a mobile phone having internal accounting capabilities for real time call debiting. The mobility phone includes an internal memory which stores an upgradeable rate table and a complex billing algorithm calculating an account status on the fly. In addition, the mobile phone is capable of alerting a customer of real time account status. Furthermore, this U.S. patent provides for a communication system which activates the mobile phone and upgrades the account status in the rate table over airways.
Therefore, there is a need for a wireless prepaid system where the service provider does not need to be concerned with collecting the unpaid bills and where the subscriber has control over his wireless expenditures.